The lute is an ancient multifaceted instrument

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Lute is a stringed plucked musical instrument. Many consider it the ancestor of the guitar, but this is partly not true, because the lute itself is a full-fledged musical instrument and has not lost its relevance for more than 2 thousand years.

The first instruments used gut strings. They were pulled in pairs. They were called "choirs". There were four such paired strings, later a fifth choir appeared. They played the lute with the help of a plectrum, only after some time the finger technique was mastered.

Earlier, as now, it was made from thin wooden plates, which, when glued together, created a hemisphere, and sometimes from a single piece of wood. But the most time-consuming process can be considered the manufacture of strings. They were made from the veins of young bulls. A mandatory criterion was their uniform density and thickness along the entire length.

Who made the lutes?

The best lyutiers were L. Mahler and G. Frey. Luthiers are master lute makers. Later, this word began to be called all the specialists who worked on the creation of any stringed musical instrument.

In its heyday, the lute was available only to the nobility andkings. Learning how to play it was not so difficult, but it took a lot of time to set it up. Even modern stringed instruments also lose their correct sound after changes in humidity, temperature and drafts. And natural gut strings were even more delicate, so most of the time you had to play the instrument out of tune.

Lute varieties

Probably no instrument has so many of its kind. They tried to improve the lute throughout the entire period of its existence. Some of the masters added basses, some frets, some changed the tuning. Some made the body flat, others increased in size. The lute has undergone many metamorphoses, and each stage of its development is recorded in various types of this instrument, which have come down to our days through the centuries.

• The Indian lute is a sitar. It has 7 main strings and several additional ones that resonate and create an indescribable sound. The sitar is played not with fingers, but with a mizrab (special mediator). The Indian lute is also distinguished by the fact that it has two resonating cavities: a large one at the base and a small one at the end of the neck.
• Kobza is the lute of the Ukrainian people. It has 4 paired strings and 8 frets. She was sung in his works by the Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko.
• The Spanish lute is a vihuela. At first it was played with a bow. In the XV-XVI centuries, it was popular among the nobility and even had its own repertoire. Until our time, the names of famous vihuelistas who workedmusic on this instrument, among them: Luis de Milan, Enrique de Valderrabano and others.
• Mandolin is a type of lute that has fewer strings and a shorter neck. The sound of this instrument fades quickly, so to prolong the sound, you need to use the tremolo technique. The mandolin itself has many varieties: mandora, octave mandolin, mandocello, mando bass, Irish bouzouki, banjo and others.

Domra is a folk instrument of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians. Its body has a hemispherical shape. A mediator is used to play. Domra is a related instrument to balalaikas and mandolins, and mandolin is a lute.

Interesting facts about the lute

In the 70s of the last century, Vladimir Vavilov released a collection of lute pieces allegedly dated back to the 16th-17th centuries. He attributed authorship to many musicians of that period, only after his death it turned out that Vladimir himself composed all the melodies. One of them became the soundtrack to the film "Assa", but the author was not indicated in the credits. For some time, it was believed that rock musician Boris Grebenshchikov was its composer. In a collection of lute music, Vavilov attributed the authorship of this composition to Francesco Canova de Milano. The song "Golden City" became incredibly popular after the release of the film. The author of the text is Anri Volokhonsky. The original title of the song was "Over the Blue Sky".

Lute today

As already mentioned, this tool is notlost its popularity until today, but has undergone an upgrade. If earlier they used gut strings, now they are nylon, and for basses - nylon with copper winding. However, those who have heard the sound of vintage strings say that it is very different.

Today, groups are being created that study the authentic sound of instruments and vocal works. This is a completely different musical culture, which sounds like monophony to our spoiled ears. But there is something indescribable about her. This trend is widespread both in the West and in Russia. For authentic concerts, ancient instruments are used: lute, guitar and viol.